


Blood//Water

by Osroviln



Series: [Draw Your Sword] Throw Away Your Scabbard [1]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Antartic Empire, Betrayal, Everyone Has Issues, Everyone has an agenda, Families of Choice, Minecraft IRL, Nature Spirit AU, November 16th, Original Characters because Worldbuilding, Politics, Technoblade and Wilbur Soot and TommyInnit and Tubbo are siblings, Technoblade has issues communicating, This fic is secretly three different aus in a trenchcoat pretending to be a stable fic, technically
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-28
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:48:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27756421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Osroviln/pseuds/Osroviln
Summary: The price of your Greed is your son and your daughter... what are you going to do when there's blood in the water?There's a saying Technoblade knows well. You either die a hero, or you live a villain - and Technoblade never dies...
Relationships: Clay | Dream & Dave | Technoblade, Dave | Technoblade & Wilbur Soot
Series: [Draw Your Sword] Throw Away Your Scabbard [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2030392
Comments: 14
Kudos: 212





	1. Theseus

The war is over, and the people are free. That is how the story is supposed to end, Technoblade knows. However, it is not what will happen. Their violence is done, perhaps, but… there is still the rest of the world to consider, beyond the edges of Dream’s land. He knows of their whispers, of their politics. He hates what he has to do.

A sense of unease rests over Technoblade, as he stands in the center of Manberg - now L’Manberg, as they all celebrate their victory over Schlatt. A sense of unease, a feeling he hasn’t felt in a long time, although he knew it would be a long time coming. In a sense, Technoblade knew what was to happen. That Tommy and Wilbur, that the two spirits would take over, would reclaim this country for their own. That they would stand victorious over one of their own ex-coalition, and proclaim that this land is theirs to rule and protect now. That they wouldn’t listen to his words, his claims at not wanting a government at all… of his own proclamation of war. Of his very much needed declaration, although he is uncertain if anyone would simply listen with no evidence to his claims.

Although, when have either of the two of them ever listened to him? Him, who almost killed the man they grew to see as a father before they ever became that close. Him, who took over continents and slaughtered those quasi-immortals looking for a home without a second thought. Him, the Spirit closest to a true Immortal, a true God no matter where he traveled. Him, in a position he never asked for, but found thrust upon him from the desires of others. 

Technoblade’s word never mattered to them - to the poet, to the businessman, to the father, to the hero and child. It never mattered to the people, to those who clammored close for his power. All that mattered was the might, the power he had on the battlefield - what he could win for them. He, the Automaton of War, the Blood God of the Antartic Empire, would never be listened to without a sword and a battle. Would never be listened to unless he drew his sword and threw away the scabbard, if he decided to go at it with no hope for peace. Perhaps there never was any hope for a peaceful resolution with him involved. 

Technoblade hums, and looks around at the congregation. Looks at Nikki, at Tubbo, at Tommy and Wilbur, as they all surround each other and grant them soft touches and smiles - all directed at those they truly considered a family. Technoblade knows that there is a proper victory speech to be held slightly later in the day, when they have all come down from the high of their victory. He sees Wilbur smile at him, and walks over to give him a pat on the back before Wilbur drags him into a hug, the first one he has had in his time on this continent, on Dream’s continent. 

“We won, brother… we won.” 

Technoblade hums at the somewhat reluctant statement. Wilbur looks almost regretful now, leaning into him, not that Technoblade is going to push his brother - at least the only one who still sees him as such - away. “Thought there’d be more explosions…” Technoblade looks down at the quasi-immortal, the bone mask on his face blocking the expression he makes at the sight of Wilbur staring at the floor. 

“Yeah, real shame that.” Wilbur lets go of the hug and reaches up to scratch his neck, a nervous tick. “And here I thought you would bring out those weapons of mass destruction, you know.” Wilbur chuckles, looking over at the distance. 

Technoblade exhales a bit, following his gaze to see Dream and what remains of his coalition watching them from the hill. “No real need for that… it ended faster than I thought it would.” He sighs. Wilbur always tried to listen, but he was lost in the mechanisms of his own mind sometimes, and always took the most effective way through. 

Not the best way, but the path of least resistance. Oh lord, his brother was the most self-righteous sometimes, it worried Technoblade, that one day he’d think that the best way would be to sacrifice himself, and he’d find himself down a brother. Technoblade turns back to face his brother, but Wilbur just smiles and walks away. 

Technoblade looks back to where Dream was watching them from, only to find the man right behind him. Blinking, Technoblade takes a deep breath. What did the Spirit want this time? Deciding to just get it over with, Technoblade greets his… ally? Opponent? Who even knows at this point? “Hullo.”

“Hello Techno. So, bowing to Tommy and Wilbur, huh? I wouldn’t have thought the Blood God would bow to anyone~” Technoblade can hear the grin in Dream’s voice, goading him into snapping. 

Technoblade tilts his head instead, looking directly into the painted smile on Dream’s mask as he keeps his voice in a deadpan. “Wilbur is my brother, Dream.” The two look at each other for a moment, not breaking from the stare. “Besides, I wasn’t the one who surrendered… why are you here, Dream, and not just running back to your little kingdom with your tail between your legs?” 

He hears Dream inhale sharply, and twitch a bit. “You know I have… unfinished business.” The last bit is said a bit… loudly, and he can see Tommy look over at the two of them, his brows furrowed. “Might as well stick around, see what the… new leadership, L’Manberg’s new glorious tyrants, do with the place~” Dream sways a bit on the balls of his feet, looking up at Technoblade. “Maybe I’ll shine their shoes… give them a back massage?”

Technoblade is suddenly come with the urge to facepalm, but settles with a sigh, looking down at Dream. “You’re here for a back massage? Really?” 

Dream chuckles. “Of course~ No, I’m just here to check in… Wonder why you’re still here in L’Manberg, and not back in the Antartic… what other business would you have? You won.” Dream leans in, up on tip toes, his mask almost touching Technoblades’. “ _You_ won. Not Wilbur, not Tommy, not anyone else who aligned themselves with Pogtopia. You. For a territory that will never be yours, for people you know will leave you. Who have left you.”

Technoblade takes a step back, not taking his eyes off of Dream. “I… they’re my family, Dream. Even if they don’t see it themselves…” Technoblade pauses for a moment. “I don’t see how any of this concerns you.”

“I was just curious.” Dream chuckles. “I wonder… why you are so against government when you’re the head of an Empire spanning continents?” The mask seems to glow for a moment as Dream tilts his head. “Seems… hypocritical.” 

Technoblade shrugs. “Power corrupts, Dream… I don’t want to see it corrupt my brothers.” 

Dream chuckles a bit at that. “So, what I’m hearing is that… you’re corrupt?” Dream’s hands get placed at his sides as he bends a bit forward, almost seeming to look down on Technoblade, even though the spirit is shorter than he is. “I would have never guessed! The apple really doesn't fall far from the tree, now does it~”

Technoblade sighs, not repressing the urge to rub at the bridge of his mask. “I just don’t want them to make the same mistakes that I have… they’re my family. It’s my job to protect them…. I know you feel the same about your coalition. If I have to be the villain to do so…”

Dream hums. “Then so be it. It’s how the story goes, you know? Being the Villain won’t grant you friends… it won’t make anyone like you.” Dream stares at Technoblade. “You don’t have to be the villain.”

Technoblade chuckles. He has made his decision, and he doesn’t think that anyone will back down now. “Eh, they don’t like me anyways…” He shrugs. “Besides, it’s starting to seem like you actually care, Dream. Didn’t think you did for little ol’ me.”

Dream looks off into the distance. “I do.” 

Technoblade blinks, freezing for a moment. “Que?” The smiley continent spirit, who is still his enemy in spirit - while no longer L’Manberg’s enemy, Dream is still technically one of the Antarctic Empire’s - cares about him. Why?

“From one ruler to another… one continent spirit to another. If you need anything from me, truly need something from me, feel free to ask.” Dream looks back at him. “It’s lonely at the top.”

With that, Dream disappears from view, and Technoblade looks back at the others lining the place, and hums. Settling in, he watches Wilbur go up to the stage, watches as he steps down from his power, handing it over to Tommy. He watches as Tommy steps down, stating unfinished business, and hands it over to Tubbo. He watches as Wilbur disappears from the crowd. He thinks he sees a feather, but dismisses it. Their father… he’s back in the Empire, he wouldn’t come here. He watches as the crowd starts to disperse, him skirting the edge as well. 

He watches as L’Manberg detonates, watches as the TnT Wilbur had planted goes off, and listens to the screaming, as Tubbo and Tommy run around like headless chickens. Watches as the center of this country crumbles to the ground. Watches and laughs, laughs and laughs and laughs. 

People notice - Tommy notices. He stops, on the other side of the crater, and looks over at Technoblade as he laughs. “Te- Technoblade? What… what are you doing?” 

Technoblade turns over and looks at him, his head tilted to the side. “Do you… do you think you’re a Hero, Tommy?” Technoblade removes his sword, holding it in front of him. “Do you?” 

Technoblade knows what will come of this place if he does not do this, if he just sits idly by and does nothing against the new government. The rest of the world will only see L’Manberg as a puppet of the Antartic Empire. Not a free place for the Quasi-Immortals to go and live freely, but as just another conquest of his... 

“I… I… I just wanted L’Manberg… wanted…” Tommy stutters, looking down at the destruction around him. “I just…”

Technoblade won’t let the hard work his brothers put into the spirit of this place go to waste. True, it means destroying months of hard work, but nobody has died from the explosion and they’re pretty much guarenteed true freedom after all this… even if it means destroying the last chance at having Tommy and Tubbo be his siblings again after that Festival. 

“You wanted power, Tommy. You wanted more than what you already had, Tommy.” Technoblade stares down at Tommy, and he knows that Tommy knows that their bond as a coalition, as siblings, has been snapped a long time ago. 

  
  


“I didn’t!” Tommy shudders, protesting. “I just wanted to be free, to…”

Technoblade sighs. “You, we both, just did a hostile coup. A hostile government takeover and then just installed yourself as it’s leader… and then you gave it to your friend, but that’s still a tyrant, Tommy! At least Schlatt was a democratically elected leader!” Technoblade shakes, laughing. “You want to know the thing about heroes, Tommy? It’s that good things, those don’t happen to heroes Tommy.” His shoulders shake, and he can only hope that it can be seen as laughter. It’s best that no real bond remains… that they are safe when they leave his reach. 

“Let me tell you a story, Tommy.” So why is it that Technoblade hopes that they can read between the lines? That Tommy will see through the facade and acknowledge that they have to play a political game here? However, Tommy was never good at pretending like him and Wilbur, never all that good at spinning diamond. 

“Let me tell you the story of a man named Theseus. His country was in danger.” His people, his livelihood, and all that he had worked for. All of it was on the line... so why is he doing this, teaching Tommy this last time? Perhaps his brotherly instincts were far too stubborn... he really does wish for Tommy to stay as his brother. 

“He had sent himself forward, behind enemy lines. He slayed the minotaur and saved his city.” He had chosen this, had chosen to become the villain, had chosen to do this, so why does it feel so wrong? Why does he feel so hurt? He is the Blood God, the Automaton of War, he isn’t supposed to feel as he carries out his plots. Technoblade takes out the Ender Chest from his inventory and opens it up. 

“You know what they did to him Tommy? Do you know what they did?” Technoblade takes out the soul sand. “They exiled him. He died in disgrace, despised by his people.” He sets up the sand in the right formation, and looks back at Tommy. “That’s what happens to Heroes, Tommy… if you want to be a Hero Tommy, that’s fine. That’s fine…”

“Technoblade… don’t do this.” Tommy almost pleads, whether it be at his betrayal or at the fact he is preparing to summon two withers. Technoblade places two heads on each, almost ready to summon both. 

Philza’s voice echoes. “...Don’t do this Techno.”

Technoblade turns at the voice, sparing a glance back at his father, only to see his brother’s corpse laying at his feet. Wilbur… Wilbur wasn’t respawning. He wasn’t turning into the snow he usually leaves when his vessel is destroyed. When had his brother become a Quasi-Immortal? When had… why had Dad- why had Philza killed him, his brother, Phil’s son… or at least Technoblade thought that the two of them were still family. Technoblade stares at the corpse, and his blood runs cold. What if… but there is no time to run on the what ifs, and Technoblade will at least finish the plan.

“You want to be a Hero Tommy?” Technoblade’s voice resounds, foregin to even himself, the madness apparent. “You _want_ to be a Hero? Then die like one!” Spinning on his heel, Technoblade places the last two skulls, and watches as the withers spawn in. 

Technoblade turns back, and runs over to where Philza is, sword in hand. Philza readies himself to fight him, but Technoblade grabs Wilbur’s corpse instead, and bolts from the battlefield, leaving naught but chaos behind. Good things never happen to Heroes. Good thing that Technoblade never considered himself a hero. 


	2. Frankenstien I

Technoblade runs through the forests of Dream’s lands, carrying Wilbur’s corpse, looking around for the Spirit of this Continent. He dislikes having to request something of Dream this soon, but the spirit is his best bet of resurrecting Wilbur, of bringing him back long enough to rebond him to something, anything. While he could wait for long enough to bring Wilbur back to the Antartic Empire and resurrect him there, Wilbur died here - his spirit is tethered to this continent as of the moment. If he does it himself, on his lands… things could go wrong, pieces could go missing. 

As if sensing his thoughts, Dream emerges from the trees, hands clasped behind his back. “So soon?” Dream tilts his head, looking down at Wilbur’s corpse. How the Spirt knew when to come out at just the right time, Techoblade will never know. It just seems to be an instinct to spirits, to be as dramatic as possible.

Even still, the timing is appreciated. “Best to deal with it as soon as possible.” Technoblade’s response is gruff, staring at the other, as he shifts Wilbur’s body in his arms. “I want your help-” Dream’s head shoots up, their eyes meeting. “Don’t give me that. We both know I have the resources and the ability to bring him back on my lands, it would just be difficult.” The power a spirit has in its homeland, in the place where it is chained is unmatched by another spirit, and has abilities unable to be used outside of the place - the most common of which being the skill of Resurrection.

Dream hums, swaying a bit as he chuckles. “Resurrecting Wilbur Soot, huh? I would never have thought I would have the chance to do that to one of your Coalition, Technoblade~” Clicking his tongue, Dream walks closer to Technoblade. “Oh how the mighty have fallen.”

“Are you going to help or not?” He barks out, his temper flaring a bit more than he wishes it to, the day having been long, and Technoblade knows he isn’t in the best shape to be requesting something from a technical enemy. However, it is the best way to go about something like this, the less time that is wasted, the better state that his brother will be in.

Dream sighs. “There really isn’t a need to be so hostile, Techno~ I will help. At a price.” Dream looks around at their surroundings, as if there was someone else there. As if what he was about to say was going to be dangerous to hear by someone not one of the two of them. “I want to join your Coalition.” Dream holds up his hands in a pause. “Not your Empire, your Coalition. I have no wish of being put under you, but partners and a promise for an unbreakable bond? Well, that is good enough for me.” 

Technoblade chuckles, feeling an unseen eyebrow raise. “You want to join me?” Dream has a Coalition of his own, and a somewhat well regarded one at that. Joining him could mean breaking those bonds, it’s not something to take lightly. For either of them. As much as Technoblade doesn’t quite… trust Dream, the magic of the Coalition provides it so that they cannot willingly harm the others without the other gaining more out of the action. It’s good enough. 

Dream nods. “With the binding promise for us to be partners, and have equal say in  _ any _ particular decision you make?” Technoblade can tell that Dream’s face is matching his mask, a smile over his face. 

Technoblade hums, his eyes narrowing. That wording… could make it so Dream has more control over near everything regarding the Empire. While the Coalition magics are strong, they are not as permanent as a promise. “I will make a binding promise to tell you of any decision relating to the Coalition when you ask, truthfully, and consider any talking point you make on it, Dream.” 

Dream shrugs, knowing that it would be as much as he could get out of Technoblade. “...Good Enough.” Dream puts out a hand. “Is that a Deal? I join your Coalition, and you make a binding promise to tell me of any decision relating to the Coalition when I ask you, and consider any point I make on it, truthfully. In exchange, I bring back one Wilbur Soot to his previous state.” 

Technoblade takes the hand and shakes it. “A Deal it is. I, Technoblade, promise to truthfully tell Dream of any Decision relating to my Coalition when the Spirit asks of it and consider any point he makes on it once one Wilbur Soot is returned to his previous state by him.” Technoblade feels his magic react, activating the promise. 

Dream chuckles and takes Wilbur’s body out of his hands and Technoblade feels the magic of the Spirit, of the Continent, reach out, calling. The presence is overwhelming, the magic in the air staggering his breath as he watches the wounds on Wilbur mend themselves and his chest move, taking a breath once more. Falling to his knees, Technoblade goes next to Wilbur and collapses over him, clutching his brother to his chest. 

Dream leans against a tree, and looks over the two brothers holding at each other on the floor. “So, the rest of the deal?” Technoblade’s head shoots up at him, and they both feel the bonding magic of a Coalition snap into place, the feeling of a home. Despite the both of them having already had Coalitions, large ones, it still feels as nice as the first one they had made. Dream takes a step forward, and sits on the ground next to the two of them. “So, what next? Are you heading back to your Empire, or?”

Technoblade feels the promise take effect almost immediately. “Was originally thinking of going there as soon as I could, but now I think I’m going to stop in Pogtopia for a little bit before Tommy thinks of it and collect a few of Wilbur’s belongings.” After what happened, he needed to. Technoblade wasn’t sure what Wilbur had brought to Pogtopia, but it had to have been a lot more than he thought, if Wilbur had hidden that he was a Quasi-Immortal from him… why had his brother hidden his status? He would have gotten him to bond to the city that was starting to form on that Tundra, or at least have created safeguards for him like he had done with Schlatt… 

Technoblade remembers the day when Schlatt had walked into his office and had told him that he had become a Quasi-Immortal, that the capital had taken over too much of the mountain for him to stay as a proper Spirit. He had offered to bond him to the capital instead, not having a Spirit be born there yet, but Schlatt had turned him down, saying that he had lived for long enough, that if he died, that was going to be it, and he would be satisfied. He remembers the day when Schlatt had told him that he would be leaving his Coalition to travel the world for business, long before Tommy and Tubbo had joined. He remembers those days, but those days had long passed, and they have become enemies since then. He had held out hope for Schlatt, but… not anymore. His death was for the best, and the Schlatt that Technoblade had known oh so long ago would have agreed with the sentiment. 

Wilbur, on the other hand, had not told him of any of these things. Had led Technoblade to believe that he was still the same Tundra Spirit, that his land had not been taken over quite just yet. Had left for Dream’s lands, for L’Manberg with little warning. It was only when Tommy had sent him a letter of assistance that he had known that they, that Wilbur was even over there in the first place. It was a wake up call, and when he had gotten there… things were not good. The bonds between the three of them were threads, ones that could not have been fixed without some drastic measures. And in the end, he had to choose between them - and Tommy, well, Technoblade had already done the final blows to their bond at that point. Which left rebuilding the bond with Wilbur to where it should have been, if he could. 

Although, considering the mindstate that Wilbur was in by the time he had arrived, perhaps it would have been easier to try and get Tommy to forgive him, to try and bond with the youngest brothers. Perhaps… but politics had come knocking, and Technoblade had to choose between his younger brothers being happy or having his younger brothers. Despite it all, Technoblade had never really been the most self serving of them, and had chosen his brother’s happiness over his own. At least, what he had thought would be his brother’s happiness. He had clued Wilbur in on his plan, and everything had gone well until… until his brother, the last remaining one, had died. Until Phil, his adoptive father, had shown up and had killed Wilbur, and threw a lot of his planning to the wind. If Phil… if only, but Technoblade cannot truly dwell on the past, not until this mess clears up, and Tommy and Tubbo truly stand on a place that they built themselves, not with any connotations or political ties to another nation not of their own doing. Dream’s nation was one thing, as they had taken the land from them, but the Antarctic Empire was another. Not with the Antartic’s reputation and their old connections to it. Perhaps there could have been easier ways of doing this, of just setting up a treatise and claming L’Manberg as a territorial ally of the Antartic Empire within a far away realm for economic trading purposes, but that came with different burdens, and he knew that Tommy and Tubbo had never been good at the political arena. It was why Wilbur had said Tommy could never be president, should never be president. Such things are in the past now, and Technoblade has other things to deal with…

Dream hums, knocking Technoblade out of his thoughts. “To Pogtopia then… do you know where he kept his belongings in there? If they were in his enderchest, you might be risking yourself for nothing.” Dream is right, if Wilbur kept everything in an enderchest, then it might not be worth the risk. But can he risk leaving something of Wilbur’s behind?

“Perhaps, but I need to check. If I do end up leaving something important behind, then Tommy can try and use it against me, trying to trade it for something else.” Technoblade looks at Dream. “We are enemies now, myself and Tommy. If he thinks that he can get something out of it, that he can make demands, he could risk a lot more than he thinks. He’ll make a fool out of himself.”

Dream huffs. “And if Tommy and Phil, and perhaps the rest of L’Manberg’s army knock down the door while you are still in there, what then? What next?” Dream taps his thigh, impatient. “I don’t understand you, Techno. Why go so far in risking yourself for someone else that even you admit is now your enemy?”

Technoblade looks down at where Wilbur, while alive, is still asleep. “Despite being enemies, he still was my brother at one point, Dream. I still care for him, even if it doesn’t look that way sometimes… and I have hope that our bonds will rebuild and we will be family again.” Technoblade hums. “Besides, that’s what I made the Invis Potions for. Got to have a way to sneak out one way or another, Dream. Everything will turn out perfectly fine, Dream.”

“If you say so, Mister~” Dream flops backward, laying on the ground. “To Pogtopia then! Although… Wilbur down there is still asleep… how about this; I stay here and watch over Sleeping Beauty, and you go into the Dragon’s den for the remaining Treasure. However!” Dream holds up a finger. “If you hear Tommy or Phil at any time, you drink that Invisibility Potion, and gtfo. Sound like a solid plan.”

Technoblade cackles before looking over at the other Spirit. “Sounds like a plan, green bean. However, when we get to the Antartic, I am the one who is going to be making the plans, capiche?”

Dream tilts his head up to look at Technoblade. “When  _ we _ get to the Antartic?”

Technoblade hums. “Well, yeah. I’m going to have to deal with the courts over there, having been over here for so long and I assumed that you would like to go and see it now that the two of us aren’t enemies anymore… you do realize that my Empire and yours can’t really be enemies anymore, right? We’ll probably have to draw up a non-aggression pact…” 

Dream’s head falls back onto the ground. “Oh right… yeah, I suppose.” He groans, facepalming the mask. “Forgot that joining your Coalition means that the bond applies to your empire as a whole, and not just you… wack ass dual spirit.” 

Technoblade chuckles. “That sounds like a you problem.”

Dream’s groaning becomes more theatrical, him rolling over. “Just go grab what you need, Techno… Oh god, the next world meeting is going to become a nightmare… How am I even going to spin this?” Dream flops back onto his back before sitting up and looking at Wilbur. 

Technoblade shrugs. “We can figure that out later…” He hums, and walks away from Wilbur and Dream, heading for Pogtopia. “I have things to finish up.”


	3. Frankenstien II

After Technoblade had left, Dream continued to watch Wilbur, looking over the sibling of the Spirit. The only one left at this point it seems… Dream wonders, however, if they are estranged because Tommy and Tubbo had truly chosen L’Mnaberg over their brother… or if Technoblade was convinced that they were. Either way, it doesn’t matter at this point, Dream supposes. He didn’t quite stick around after the explosion went off either, so how Wilbur died is a mystery to him… although it doesn’t look like Wilbur died to the explosion. 

Wilbur stirs, and jolts awake. “I… I’m alive…” Looking up, Wilbur locks eyes with Dream, his eyes narrowing. The two stare at each other for a while, silence permeating the area as the two refuse to take their eyes off the other. Standing up, Wilbur wipes off the dirt off of himself. “If you brought me back to use against my brothers, I will not hesitate to try and bring your continent to the ground.” Wilbur grins. “Besides, we both know that I am excellent at destroying anything and everything~”

Dream chuckles, standing as well. “No need for that, Wilbur Soot… besides, don’t you feel it?” Turning away, Dream scans the surrounding forest as if he doesn’t already know every inch of it. 

“Feel what…” Wilbur frowns, before feeling the presence of Dream’s magic in the Coalition right next to Technoblade’s. “You…” Wilbur snarls and marches over to where Dream is, and turns him around to face him, grasping at Dream’s collar as he lifts the shorter spirit up. He could not harm the other spirit, but he could certainly threaten him. “What did you do, Dream.” Wilbur’s grip slackens, dropping Dream to the floor. “Where is my brother.”

“Nothing much really…” Dream hums, picking himself off of the ground. “Why are you so worried? It’s just a little deal, Wilbur. One your brother had already agreed to. There’s nothing you can do about it now… as for Techno, he is in Pogtopia, grabbing some of your things... Besides, while the two of us are in coalition, the others are not~” 

“You would threaten…” Wilbur’s hands clench. “I thought you were above that.” His brother is in Pogtopia, of all places? For… just to get his stuff? Wilbur knows that he can simply just get another guitar and Technoblade has all the photo albums…

“You realize you and them are enemies now, correct? Why threaten me for them, when you know you will have to fight them?” Dream hums. “You and Technoblade… the two of you don’t make much sense…” 

Wilbur snaps out of his thoughts at Dream’s statements. “Tommy and Tubbo aren’t my enemies, Dream. They never were…” Wilbur turns away from Dream, sighing. “They never truly will be, no matter how this plays out… no matter what they may think.”

Dream tilts his head, and behind his mask, his brows furrow. “Then why blow up L’Manberg? Why offer to be my vessel like that in the first place, if…” Dream hums. “It was never about them, was it, it was about L’Manberg. You want that place gone… even if it makes your brothers feel terrible, don’t you.”

Wilbur looks over his shoulder at Dream. “L’Manberg was a mistake. My unfinished symphony, unfinished - never to be finished, not when it tears apart my family so. You know that originally, I had only wanted it to be a place where anyone could come and go and be equal, no matter their status outside the walls - where politics wouldn’t infect how people interacted with each other… but that was an impossibility, wasn’t it? We all want power. We crave it. You and I most of all.” Wilbur grins. “We want control. It’s in our nature - don’t deny it. We both know that’s our core.” 

Dream blinks. “I thought L’Manberg was made because you guys didn’t want to listen to the laws I was putting down...” Wilbur gives Dream a deadpan stare, and Dream shrugs. “What? You all were selling drugs, and I had banned them, and then I called you out, and then all of a sudden, there’s a rebellion.” 

“Admittedly, that does sound like the right series of events… but even still, I had my hopes. And then things just kept going wrong… and my family kept getting hurt for L’Manberg, for something that we didn’t really have to fight for here. Tommy and Tubbo are still proper spirits, you know? We could have moved to one of their lands and built it there… but we didn’t. Because by the time we had actually thought of that, we were all too attached to this place, we didn’t want what we had been fighting for to have been for nothing. Perhaps, for a time, it was worth it.” Wilbur rants, pacing the small space. “But now? Now that Tommy had brought in Technoblade as well, had gotten the last of our brothers in it, our most overworked brother - had been forced to make impossible decisions, and I had watched our family get torn apart for L’Manberg… I had wanted a place to get away from it all. We all had… but we couldn’t have gotten away from it all. Perhaps we could have given up at any time, and returned home, but the Empire runs in our veins. We just had to see it through to the end.” 

Dream sighs. “That explains practically nothing, but it also explains a lot... “ He shrugs. 

Wilbur leans down, looking Dream directly in the face covered by a mask. “Now let us not change the subject Dream… which of my brothers did you make a Deal with? I do not think Tommy nor Tubbo would have been able to make the decisions, nor the wordplay to truly deal with you and tie up all your loose ends, and I don’t really think that you would make a deal with either of them… which only leaves Techno.” His eyes seem to glow, and his head tilts to the side. “Now, what did Technoblade promise you.” 

Dream grumbles. “It’s nothing of your concern-”

“It concerns my brother, Dream.” Wilbur interrupts. “It was a deal to bring me back after I had died… so it does concern me as well.”

Dream hums, shifting a bit under the stare. “Noe that you mention it, how did you die? Your injuries didn’t look like an explosion…”

Wilbur snarls. “Don’t change the subject, Dream. What did Technoblade give you?”

Dream backs up, holding his hands out in front of him. “Look, it’s not for me to tell, not really. All I can say however, is that the two of us aren’t technical enemies anymore~ No fighting between my lands and the Antartic Empire~” 

Wilbur slumps. “I bet you needed that, didn’t you, with L’Manberg winning it’s independence, the sharks would have smelled blood, the Empire one of the largest of them all… I was surprised you were working with Schlatt at the end there, considering that Manberg would have been a thorn in your side.”

Dream shrugs. “Politics, perhaps… but maybe it was a few other things as well…” Dream hums, placing his hands behind his back. “You two are far too interesting~ and I have nothing to loose by doing so~”

“Don’t bullshit me Dream, I know you would have been old enough to have known about…” Wilbur trails off, looking at the ground, sighing.   
  


Dream pauses, and then it gasps. “Don’t tell me- Philza killed you? Dadza did it? I didn’t even think he would have shown up! Okay, that explains a few things, like why I can only really feel you in the Coalition, but still!” 

Wilbur glares at Dream. “I don’t want to talk about it... Dad… Phil…” Wilbur sighs. “It’s not something you should be talking about.”

“I’d ask if Techno knows, but he would know the second something like that would start to snap.” Dream sighs. “Didn’t think Techno’s Coaltion had been so…” 

Wilbur exhales, frowning. “I don’t think any of us was expecting it to go like this, that things would end like it has, Dream. Life never goes the way you expect it.” He leans against a tree.”How is it that we keep getting off subject…”

Dream shrugs, grinning. “You just keep getting distracted by my beautiful face~” 

Wilbur rubs the bridge of his nose. “You are… It couldn’t have been just Politics Dream. What are you doing with my brother?” Wilbur tries to glare at the man, but Dream is just giggling, and he feels ridiculous at staring at a giggling spirit.

“Dunno yet, but it should be fun~” Dream’s grin spreads across his face a bit, underneath the mask. “We do belong to each other now~”

“You are… incorrigible." Wilbur exhales, looking down at the other spirit. “There are not enough words in the english language to accurately describe how much I would like to smack you upside the head right now.”

Dream cackles. “There’s no harm in letting me have my fun!”

Wilbur blinks at Dream’s statement. “I… there are so many things that have gone wrong from you having your so-called fun, or do you not remember the incident that caused you and Techno to be considered technical enemies rather than friendly rivals?” 

Dream dips his head. “Alright, sneaking into the Capital and then instigating a game of Manhunt with my Coalition during a major festival, and then in the proceedings somehow kidnapping Techno for a month, which we then used to fight the entire time was… not exactly the best idea, but we all had fun.”

“We thought you were declaring war with that stunt, Dream! It’s not- ugh…” Wilbur groans. “It was a pain, and I hated that paperwork.”

Dream waves it off with a hand. “Hey! You met Sally during that incident though- can’t say something good didn’t come out of it.” 

Wilbur shoots a nasty glare at Dream, his previous amusement gone at the mention. “Do not. Speak of her. Not now, Dream. Not now.”

Dream deflates a bit, putting his hands in front of him again, trying to defuse the situation. “Hey, hey - I’m sorry, okay? Won’t mention her again, promise… you know that Techno is planning to go back to the Antarctic soon? Or… do you have something else in mind?” 

Wilbur sighs. “Wouldn’t surprise me… it’s been a while… I’m more surprised he stayed over here this long without going back…” 

“Technoblade does care for you all…” Dream comments, looking at Wilbur. “Are you still planning to stick around, or?”

“I still want L’Manberg gone, Dream. I don’t want it to be able to hurt any of my brothers again, and with that last stunt of ours…” Wilbur grins. “Well, certain things will be easier to pull off again. But, I think I need to head back with Technoblade for the moment.”

“Huh.” Dream responds, somewhat shocked. 

“Now, don’t get me wrong, but… Technoblade needs someone to back him up... “ Wilbur motions, and makes a few unintelligible comments. 

Dream hums. “I could just give you whatever materials you need~”

“I need to think about how to deal with Dad-Phil, shit, showing up here. It’s… Technoblade is going to block out what he did, and it’s not going to go down well if he has to confront that…” Wilbur makes a few more motions. “It’s… complicated to say the least.”

“No~” Sarcasm floods Dream’s response, his hands coming over his heart in an exaggerated manner. “This whole thing, complicated?”

“Shut it.” Wilbur points at Dream, before looking around. “Now, what is taking Technoblade so long?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I should probably explain what the Nature Spirit AU meant, and define some terms... so pretty much, most of the MCYT CCs are spirits [i use this term loosely] that are connected to a part of nature, be it a continent [Dream, Techno, Philza], a biome [Wilbur, Tommy, Tubbo] or a location [Schlatt, Fundy, Sally]. As long as that part of nature exists, spirits are immortal with all of their abilities, and otherwise they become Quasi-Immortal, which makes them permanently killable but with all of their abilities. When a spirit is on or near their part of Nature, they gain extra abilities (pretty much admin). Some are Immortals [Quackity, Awsamdude], who do not have this, but cannot permmadie. Spirits/Immortals/Quasi-Immortals can not die from old age or disease, but can die from poison/weapons and the like.  
> Coalition refers to a type of magic that creates a bond between a group of Spirits/Immortals/Quasi-Immortals, wherein they cannot harm other members without certain prerequisites [explicit permission, removing oneself from the coalition, or emergencies]. They can threaten other members, but they are unable to physically harm them directly, be it to the main body, or in the case of spirits, their part of nature.  
> This should explain most of what has shown up so far, but if I haven't covered something you want answered, ask in the comments!


	4. Frankenstien III

Wilbur hums, waiting for Technoblade. It had been quite a time since he had woken up, and his brother hadn’t come back yet. Looking over at Dream, Wilbur hums, a thought coming to mind as their conversation had dragged along. An older thought, one he hadn't ever quite achieved… one he had thought only ever applied to L’Manburg, his never to be finished symphony. But then, what is a thought, but a recognition of a pattern? “Do you regret, Dream? Regret building something that you now need to tear down, regret making something that can only hurt those you care about?” A grin creeps across Wilbur’s face as he speaks, eyes turning wild again. “People say that regret only comes for the actions that you never take, but when you have regret for what you have done? Oh, that is a whole other thing, isn’t it? Oh, and there is so much regret… Which is worse, Dream, regret for what you have chosen not to do, or regret for what you have done?”

Dream looks over at Wilbur, concerned and confused. He remembers Wilbur’s chat with Tommy, and what that had led to… will this be more of the same? Dream sighs. He isn’t Tommy, Wilbur, and he hopes he will never be. “Eh, I’d say they’re both pretty bad, you know? I mean…” He motions, shrugging. “Nah, nevermind. Why?”   
  


“Do you… regret accepting Tommy’s trade, Dream? L’Manberg for those discs? Or do you regret not getting serious early on and annihilating those who had decided to rebel?” Wilbur walks over to Dream. “Or do you regret not trying to deal with your neighbors earlier? Having such a pacifistic rule over your continent, allowing kingdoms and countries to spring up and fall without interference. I thought you were mad, when you had declared war - you never had gotten truly involved with your lands before, so what happened?” 

Dream frowns, underneath the mask. “I… Wilbur, you know I had very few rules, and you and your lot were ignoring one of my bigger ones… but that isn’t quite the point. You know, or at least should have known that I made a deal with each of those, a deal that has been upheld by every single one until they fell. I didn’t need to rule them, they all knew that in the end, they answered to me if I requested it of them. And I haven’t needed to ask them for anything just yet for my own ends.” Dream pauses, raising a hand to stop Wilbur from speaking for a moment. “Eret’s situation was a result of two separate deals that I was able to resolve in one fell swoop. Not for your war, not for anything globally, not for the rebellion. My actions do not affect theirs, and theirs do not affect mine. I want to keep it that way. Regret may apply to how some of these things have ended up, but I do not regret what I have or haven’t done.” 

Wilbur hums, swaying a bit. “Forgive me if I don’t quite believe you, Dream~ I mean, if you had no regrets, then why make a deal with Techno at all? I mean, you could have just done it on a whim and tell Techno that he owed you a favor for later~ but you made a deal, which means you needed something from it now~ And you were the one who made a deal with me to blow L’Manberg up, Dream. Perhaps you don’t like to call on them because you don’t like having their actions and yours mix, but even still. You have regrets~” Wilbur hums. “You know, there was, or rather is a story I know - okay, less of a story and more a series of letters that tell a story, but even still, a story of a man called Frankenstien.”

Dream huffs, pacing the clearing a bit before shrugging. “Let me guess, Techno told this one to you?” 

Wilbur grins large and wide, waving Dream off as he continues. “That’s not the point. Anyways, Dream, the story goes that this man, Frankenstein creates what he thinks to be a masterpiece, he slaves over it, day after day, and do you know what it turns out to be? It turns out to be a monster that kills his family, kills his friends, and then blames him at the end of things! It kills him, Dream, because he wouldn’t comply with his demands! Isn’t that- isn’t that crazy, Dream?”

Dream almost facepalms at the spiel, knowing where Wilbur is trying to go with this. But, he won’t stop until he does, won’t he? He won’t stop until he thinks that he has convinced him. It doesn’t work as well when the other knows where it’s going but… it’s interesting enough, Dream supposes, to try this whole thing again, to try and destroy L’Manberg again. It’s going to be a thorn in his side until it’s gone, and with that host of Immortals, Spirits, and Quasi-Immortals, that won’t be for a long time - if ever. Humming, Dream motions for Wilbur to continue. Might as well get it over with.

Wilbur runs a hand through his hair and laughs a bit. “It is, isn’t it? But here’s the thing; the monster was his own creation. It was something he had created himself, something he had wanted. So what does that say about him, about Frankenstien. You know dream, that in the story, he had a chance to end it early, to finish it before it got any further - but he didn’t because he was ashamed, fearful of the consequences to himself. Was afraid of losing his own standing, his power. That decision, that choice, had killed people. That’s the problem you know - people don’t want to lose what they have, they don’t want to admit their faults. So they cover it up - make the faults look pretty.” Wilbur laughs. “You know, I used to know Schlatt - knew him a long time ago, back when he was still a spirit. He was fine then, he was great. A business man, not a politician, not… it wasn’t Schlatt that was the issue, I don’t think he ever was. It was the power, the politics that got to him, twisted him. That’s the problem - power. It’s always power that is the problem, and we can’t help but crave it, you know? We can’t help but crave it…” 

“Wilbur, you know that Techno is…” Dream starts to speak, but Wilbur interrupts. 

Wilbur shakes his head, grin unfailing. “Techno… Techno’s different, always has been the odd one out in any arena. You know he hates it, hates the politics, even though it’s his blood, his soul. He hates what he has become because of politics! It’s killing him! But he can’t stop it, can’t get away from it, and you want to know why? It’s because Technoblade never dies. And for as long as he lives, he will be embroiled in politics unless…” Wilbur pauses, humming. He knows that Dream wouldn’t like the next part, wouldn’t like his idea of just… getting rid of politics, of the government. “No, no… that’s not important right now. What is, is getting Techno home… getting home, away from all of this… it was wrong for Tommy to call him over, to bring him into this.”

Dream hums, eyeing Wilbur. That wasn’t… that wasn’t where he was expecting it to go. Wilbur stopping on his own in the middle of a spiel, of a rant, was rare… so what happened? What did the other Quasi-Immortal decide in his mind, that he didn’t want to share with him? Keeping that in mind, Dream looks around. “Where is Techno? He should have been back by now… wonder what’s holding him up?”

Wilbur hums, the grin fading. “Yeah, now that you mention it… what has kept Techno for so long? The only thing he should be grabbing is my guitar… If he ran into Phil...” 

Dream hums. “Only your guitar?”

Wilbur nods. “Yeah, it should be the only thing left of worth of mine and Techno’s in Pogtopia right now. Unless he thinks that I’ll want a change of clothes or something…” Wilbur huffs. “Even if I’m a Quasi right now, I still used to be a Tundra spirit! Cold weather, high winds and snow don’t hurt me at all… I didn’t suddenly become a grassland child just because I set up L’Manberg in a grassland area. Tommy’s the Grassland Spirit here…” Sighing, Wilbur shrugs at Dream. “Do you think that I’m weak to the cold now?”

Dream looks away. Let’s not piss off the unstable Quasi-Immortal right now~ “Well… you’re certainly acquainted with the grasslands… You have been in my lands for a long time, who knows how you’ve adapted.” Dream looks around. If Technoblade could have impeccable timing and save him from this conversation, that would be great~

Wilbur sighs, slumping over. “Am I weak to the cold now that I’ve been here? Have I really grown away from the Empire so?” 

Dream hums, more hurriedly searching the treeline for Technoblade. “You have been over here for a few decades, I believe… it has been a while since you have visited your homeland, if you have visited at all.” Blood for the blood god? Is that how you summon him? Or is there another method...

With the impeccable timing of a man who has been summoned, Technoblade appears through the treeline carrying Wilbur’s guitar. He looks between Wilbur and Dream, and then back at Wilbur. “Did I miss something?” The two look over at him, and sigh in relief, almost. 

Dream crosses his arms over his chest in an X motion.“Nope~ Nothing to see here~” Technoblade blinks in response, before turning to Wilbur, who grins. 

“We were just having a nice, friendly chat over here while you were gone… hey Techno, do you think I’m weak to the cold now?”

Technoblade hums, shifting a bit. “Uh… no? But, did you mean Tommy’s kind of friendly chat, or Tubbo’s kind of friendly chat? I uhh… also kinda couldn’t find your guitar back at Pogtopia… so… yeah. Sorry ‘bout that.” 

Wilbur shrugs it off, smiling. “Tommy’s kind of friendly chat! It’s fine, Techno~ I can always just get another…”

Technoblade huffs. “It’s still your guitar, Wilbur… getting a new one isn’t going to change that.” Looking between the two, Technoblade then shrugs. “Let’s get going then… I saw Tommy wandering around Pogtopia right when I was leaving, so it’s likely he’s still around. Easier to leave when nobody’s looking.” 

Wilbur chuckles. “You got that right. Well then… let’s get going. The Empire’s a good month or two by boat I believe, and it’s hard to find a place that uses the planes the Empire does.”

Technoblade grins, and shrugs before pulling three sets of clothes out of his inventory, throwing them at Wilbur and Dream. “Best not to be recognized right now, right? Dream, maybe, but considering we’re going to be heading to the Empire…”

Dream hums. “Still aren’t on the best of terms politically, yeah. Pain in the ass, that.” Unfolding the clothes, he takes a look at them. “But seriously? Disguising as a cosplayer with a bad quality cosplay?”

Technoblade quirks an eyebrow underneath his own mask. “Your mask looks like a paper plate that a three year old drew a smiley face on, Dream. Unless you want to take it off?” Technoblade sighs, and places his crown in his inventory before taking out a dark brown wig that looks similar to Wilbur’s own hair. “It’s not like you need to put a massive wig on, either. At least Wil’s look is just a hobo, so changing a few clothes should work.”

Wilbur hums, and starts to change himself. He looks over to see Dream staring at him, and shrugs. “What? It’s like Manhunt, but with more actual effort to hide from the hunters and less parkour and speedbridging. There is a reason you got blindsided by Techno showing up~” 

Dream blinks and grips the disguise. “My mask does not look like a paper plate!”

Technoblade smirks. “So you admit it was drawn by a three year old then?” Humming, Technoblade takes off the red cloak and armour with care, placing it in the inventory before bringing out a blazer and putting it on. “How do I look?” 

Dream deflates, looking down and then sighing before putting it on, grumbling. “A three year old, how original… you’re the three year old- I swear you both are insufferable…” 

Chuckling, Wilbur puts the rest of the disguise on, now wearing a long black raincoat and a button up with sunglasses. The beanie is placed in the inventory, along with the jacket. The fingerless gloves are bundled up in a pocket, and he brushes against them when he puts his hands in the pockets. “Hey guys, look - I look like a bootleg Eret!” 

Technoblade chuckles. “Bootleg Erets for the win!” He looks over at Dream and holds in laughter for a moment before walking over to the treeline in the direction of the port town he arrived in. “Now come on, we don’t have all week!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Villain Wilbur, perhaps... Wilbur is still near the bottom of his corruption arc in this body, near death isn't really going to change that~ But hmm... I'm realizing that there's going to be a lot more people to tag here real soon... if I'm not missing a few tags already, so the tags are going to update as we move along!  
> Still, feel free to direct your questions about the au or the fic in the comments! Also, would you like for me to start throwing in short, non-spoilery character bios in the end notes? If so, who'd you like first? Also, yes, I changed the title because I feel like it fits better for what I have planned now - originally this was going to be a three shot but this crept up on me and said; no you're making this much longer now~ so yeah... This used to be called [Die A Hero, Live a Villain] and now its Blood//Water, because I love that song and it fits the plot~


	5. Frankenstien IV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Meanwhile, in L'Manberg...

Standing over the rubble of what had once been the center of L’Manberg, Philza wonders what went wrong. Oh, he knows that... killing his son… listening to Wilbur like that was a mistake, but his son was a bit too persuasive at times. Perhaps coming over here in the first place was a mistake, and even more so allowing his children to come over here like they did. Perhaps if he had come over with them… but no, Technoblade was getting swamped with paperwork then. Perhaps if he had just told Wilbur to bring Sally over, and either he or Technoblade could find a way to bond her to a river on one of their continents… 

If only… but none of those things happened, now did they? Looking over, he watches Tommy and Tubbo dismantle the withers, watches them take both of them apart bone by bone, and thinks of what will come next. Oh sure, rebuilding the damage Technoblade and Wilbur had done to the place will come first, but… otherwise? Politically? He had come here as soon as he could when he had heard whispers of Technoblade helping his brothers overthrow L’Manberg to try and bring him home so that whatever they were doing and what was happening on the international stage wouldn’t affect them before they were ready. Phil hated that Technoblade was able to solve that issue before he had arrived and stabbed Wilbur straight through - hated that he could have possibly just ruined a decent amount of political staging, that he made the point in coming here worse than it would have been if he had just stayed home. He wonders what was running through Wilbur’s head when he convinced him… lord, how much was Wilbur able to hide from him and Techno? Sighing, he walks over to Tommy and Tubbo, and begins to help them dismantle the Withers.

Tubbo notices him start to help them first. “Dad…” His voice is small, weak. “Why… why did you...why- why did you only come here now? Why not… why… I missed you, dad. I miss… I miss my brothers.” Tommy looks up at him, confused, and Philza isn’t exactly sure how to answer. What Technoblade and Wilbur have done isn’t exactly the easiest thing to answer, and Tommy… well, Tommy preferred having a simple answer to everything. 

Philza hums, looking more at the Wither than at Tommy. “I… I am not quite sure myself.” He reaches down and removes another bone, and looks back at his two sons. “I had… admittingly, when the three of you had left - that is you and Tommy and Wilbur, I had contemplated leaving with you, making sure my sons were alright. I had trusted Wilbur to keep you two safe, and Techno needed more help with managing everything, needed someone there. Notch, imagine if we had all left him to manage it all alone.” He shudders a bit at the thought. It would have been a nightmare… and considering Technoblade’s nature, dangerous. 

Tommy grumbles. “Techno didn’t need help, the Empire needed help… Techno and his stupid empire…” Huffing, he looks down at the ground. “I should have fucking seen this coming.”

Philza squints a bit, looking at Tommy. “Should have seen what coming?”

Tommy motions around. “This! Techno just- snapping and trying to kill everyone again! He… I don’t know how, but Techno shot Tubbo at the festival! He killed him on orders from Schlatt! Fucking Schlatt! Betrayed us- he… I should have known he would do the same thing again!” 

Philza freezes. It’s been a long time since he had heard of Technoblade and Schlatt working together… but the two of them had long since fallen out, and Tubbo was Technoblade’s brother - the two acknowledged it, even! Had accepted the Coalition to become brothers and not estranged partners under the same government. He shouldn’t have been able to hurt him, let alone kill him... feeling around for the magics, he stares at the ground. 

Tommy pauses, and walks over to Philza. “Dad? Are you alright? Is everything-”

Philza’s hand grips at his own chest, the feeling of emptiness overtaking him. “I can’t feel it.” It’s just… gone, as if it hadn’t existed in the first place… the space where he would have felt the magics of Wilbur and Technoblade, the comforting melody and the deep throbbing hum, are silent. 

“Can’t feel what, Dad?” Tommy reaches out, worried. 

Philza looks up at him. “I can’t feel Techno or Wilbur anymore… the bonding magics… they’re just… they’re gone! I… it’s like the Coalition doesn’t even exist anymore.” He can feel tentative bonds to Tubbo and Tommy, but his other two sons… it’s like the magic had never even existed in the first place. “I…” The other two stare at him, a bit confused.Tommy isn’t sure when the last time Philza had tried to feel for the Coalition, but it’s been snapped for a while between him and Technoblade, and with this…. Wilbur’s has to be gone as well... whether that’s from blowing up L’Manberg or from his death... Tommy isn’t sure.

Tubbo looks over at a suspicious bloodstain. “But Wilbur-”    
  


Philza’s head drops to the ground. “Wilbur gave me explicit permission! He told me… he told me to kill him…” Told him to end it, to kill him - that everyone else there had wanted it, to not hesitate. He should have hesitated more...

Tommy looks at Philza, scanning his face for a lie. His brother- Wilbur, Wilbur wouldn’t ask for that, would he? “Wilbur… he… And you listened to him Dad?” Tommy had known that Wilbur hadn’t been the most stable, he had actually gone through with blowing L’Manberg up, but he thought that... to tell Dad, to convince him to destroy himself, knowing he would die? He didn’t think Wilbur would do that… he thought that Wilbur’s bond had broken and Dad had killed Wilbur not knowing that he was a quasi-immortal… no matter what, Tommy refuses to consider that Dad could have known Wilbur was a Quasi-Immortal. 

“I… I wish I hadn’t.” Philza’s voice is almost silent, the words coming out as a whisper. “Wil…. he… he’s my son, and I…  _ he’s my son _ … I thought… I thought he had just wanted a quick out to wherever he had set his respawn, but…” Philza swallows, and looks at Tommy and Tubbo with tears almost spilling out. “Not once, not once did I ever consider that Wil had become… he could actually die, could actually be killed. I need… I need to go find Techno… to tell him that…”

Tommy’s jaw clenches for a moment, inhaling. “No, you don’t… Technoblade… he… Technoblade hasn’t been our brother for a long time. He- Dad, he shot Tubbo - and that was months ago. He’s not- he’s not… it hasn’t been the same in a long while. And I don’t think this can be fixed.” Tommy’s hand drifts up to rub his opposite arm as he repeats himself. He needs dad to understand that Technoblade’s Coalition, the Coalition they had fondly named the SBI, hasn’t been together in a long time. That it dissolved under Dad’s nose… it dissolved before any of them had noticed, really. Any of them other than Technoblade, at least. Tommy’s pretty sure that Technoblade would be the one to keep an eye on any finicky magic like that.

Philza’s lips purse, grimmacing a bit. “Tommy, he- Techno… it’s… I can’t just let it go like this, Toms! I have to… we…” Exhaling, Philza looks out at the crater. “It’s never that simple…” 

Tommy snaps, yelling, his arms getting thrown out as if to say look around you, look at what has happened. “I never said it was, Dad! I get that you feel like you connect to Techno than the two of us- but it’s- this, has never been simple, and you can’t just… we can’t just slap a bandaid over all of this, and call it a day. It’s not something that you can just- call Techno over and apologize, and everything will be alright!” Tommy’s hands clench. “Besides- it’s not like Techno hasn’t done shit! He’s not the innocent party here- never has been! Our family has been broken for a long time Dad, a  _ really  _ long time…” 

Tubbo drops his head and takes a few steps away from the two, leaving them to… talk? Scream? At each other for as long as they need... walking out over the crater that once was the center of L’Manberg, Tubbo sits down on the edge of it. He sees Quackity dusting himself off, remembers that the Immortal had gotten launched by the explosion. He hadn’t gotten killed, thankfully nobody had, but even still… 

Taking a deep breath in, Tubbo taps the top of his thighs, trying to calm himself down from the adrenaline that the last day or so has caused… the chaos of what had happened. He knows that they had gathered for the final charge, the deciding battle… but what happened afterwards was… confusing, hazy almost. Technoblade had shown them his secret base- an actual one, not one like Eret’s that had gotten them all almost killed, stocked with anything and everything they could have needed. Oh lord, Eret… Dream had dethroned him, taken him down back to a Quasi-Immortal… and wasn’t that a trip? That Eret would choose L’Manberg over his own life. It’s not really something Tubbo could really take in… not for a while- it put a lot of things in perspective, but… Tubbo sighs, looking up at the sky. What happened after that? The charge - they had fought Dream and Schlatt and everyone else on that side, and then Dream had practically surrendered because Schlatt was an idiot - an idiot who then died of a heart attack. Had actually died, because along the way, Tubbo had forgotten that Schlatt was a Quasi-Immortal, had been for a long time. And then… Tommy had been declared President before handing it off to Wilbur, who handed it off to him… and then Wilbur had blown everything up… only to have Dad kill him… and Techno had snapped… 

Tubbo doesn’t think he could quite blame Techno for snapping like that… if he had snapped at all- Dad had just killed Wil, both of whom Techno was quite close to… much closer to the two of them than him or Tommy. For Techno, a betrayal like that… even if the bond between him and Techno had been practically gone, he knew it would hurt the spirit no matter how detached the man would have been. Although, that speech… it felt planned… something about it all felt… off. Like it was meant to teach something, and not… and not the betrayal it felt like. Techno’s speech was more of a story and less of a monologue- Tubbo knew the difference from listening to both Schlatt’s monologues and the recordings he still carried of Techno’s old bedtime stories. That speech was a story, and not just because it was Techno… but because it felt like there was something more there that Techno wanted Tommy to hear. Something about that bothered Tubbo, he just wasn’t sure what. 

Humming, Tubbo looks over to where Tommy and Dad are still talking, although with how their arm movements are going, it looks less like a talk and more like the two are yelling at each other. He doesn’t think that he has the energy to yell, to scream out his frustration right now, even if he really wants to - wants to scream into the void about Wil, about the crater, about Techno. Wants to scream at Techno and Tommy for blaming each other… wants to scream at himself for letting things get to this point, to no longer even be able to feel Techno and Wil through the frayed bonds. He wants his brothers back… he wants his family back, no matter how impossible it may seem… he wants to go to sleep and wake back up the day before the election, and pretend that this had all been a dream. It hasn’t been a dream though, this is reality… and his family is in as many pieces as L’Manberg’s center - although, his family is going to require a lot more glue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I have decided to explain something else that I think I might not have touched in the AU explination; Empirical Spirits & Land Spirits. Empirical Spirits, or societal Spirits, are spirits who embody a country/city/state [Eret] - who are connected to the people and whoever else lives there. Not quite to the land itself, but society is a part of nature, and thus there are spirits for it as well. Empirical Spirits are the more finicky of the bunch - they can be much more powerful than a standard land spirit, but they have a much higher chance of becoming a Quasi-Immortal for a variety of reasons. Land spirits, or traditional nature spirits, are those connected to a part of the land itself, be it a continent [Philza], a biome [Wilbur], or a tree [Fundy]. They're much more stable in being a Spirit, but there is always a risk.   
> Occasionally, very rarely, there are hybrids - those who are both an Empirical Spirit and a Land spirit - typically, it's from Land Spirits being 'adopted' by a country/city/state as their singular spirit [Technoblade], but it can happen when a part of land happens because of the development of a country/city/state, and they then become a hybrid.


	6. Frankenstien V

Tubbo yawns, standing up from the rubble. It’s… it’s been a long day, and Tubbo… Tubbo just wants to go to sleep. Just wants for the last couple hours to have been a dream, and when he walks back over to Philza and Tommy, the two seem to have finished arguing, and Tubbo can tell they’re just as tired as he is. Philza’s eyes seem blank, almost empty, and Tubbo sighs, and guides him to where a few beds are in Manberg… no, they won. It’s L’Manberg again… and they have to clean up the pieces. 

Tubbo can tell that it will be a long process. This crater will take time to fill, and he notes the water spilling into it as well, that he and the others will have to dam up. There’s structural damage, and he can see some of the buildings next to the crater are threatening to fall down at any time. He can see humans gathering around to see what happened, smart enough to keep out of a fight between spirits, but not smart enough to stay away from a building that could collapse at any time. Standing up, he walks over to the crowd that is gathering. “Uh.. hello! Could everyone please just… back up a bit? The damage around this area is severe, and you all could get hurt at any time! So uh…” Stuttering, Tibbo rubs the back of his head as he corrals the people away from the center. “Best keep away until we fix it! It shouldn’t take more than a few days!” Waving them off, Tubbo turns back to the other two. 

“Is… is everything alright now?” Tubbo asks, uncertain. Philza looks away and Tubbo drops his head. This can’t… this cannot be good. Philza… Dad… he’s usually the one who’s the negotiator, the one who is able to fix the problem. That he’s looking away… it means he hasn’t been able to fix it… yet. Tubbo hopes it’s only yet, that he can fix this. 

It’s Tommy who speaks up. “Look around, Tubbo! Does this look alright? Wilbur- he’s… Technoblade betrayed us and blew L’Manberg up! And Dad’s… Techno and Wilbur are gone, Tubbo. It’s not alright, and we were this close. This fucking close!” He throws his hands up in the air, turning around. “How the fuck are we meant to fix this shit? I mean, sure, we can fix L’Manberg, but…”

Tubbo raises two hands up, attempting to calm Tommy. “It’s more than just L’Manberg that’s gone… yeah… but hey! We just gotta stay positive, stay focused on what’s in front of us!” Tubbo smiles, reluctant. “We just have to take this one step at a time.”

Dad hums, and walks over to the side of the crater. “One step at a time… we should probably get the support beams fixed before any of these fall over. And then…” He mutters, and Tubbo supposes that he’s probably coming up with some idea or other to streamline one thing or other, like normal. But what is normal at this point, after this decade? After these ten years having been spent apart, what has Dad been up to- what changes have happened with him… and thinking about it, what was he up to with Techno after him and Wilbur and Tommy left? What could have possibly happened? It’s not… Tubbo doesn’t know how to ask, and he doesn’t think he can. He left… and whatever happened after shouldn’t be his problem. If it was, he would have been told, right? Right? 

Nodding, Tubbo hums. “It might take a little bit, but… It’s getting late, and I’m getting tired. You two are as well, right?” Yawning a bit, Tubbo’s head starts to dip, and Phil almost rushes over to make sure he doesn’t fall over. 

Chuckling, Phil agrees. “Yeah, I am… it’s been a long day, hasn’t it?” Smiling, he helps Tubbo find his balance again and the two begin walking to the nearest bed. Looking back and around, Phil watches as the other spirits head in as well - even though they all head a bit further out to catch a bit of rest. Most of them still had permanent residences in L’Manberg, even if they had been exiled at one point or another. 

Tommy frowns, looking at the two. “This isn’t over with, old man.” Even so, he follows, not fully able to hide a yawn of his own. 

Shaking his head, Phil makes sure to see the two younger spirits into the singular bed. “Yeah, yeah… I know that.” Humming, he sits down on a near by chair, intending to sleep there for the night. “It’s not over til’ it’s over, right?” 

“You got  _ that  _ right, old man.” Yawning, Tommy and Tubbo drift to sleep, Phil following not too long afterwards. They dream - they dream of many things that night, none the least of a whole, unbroken L’Manberg.

Philza dreams of a world where Wilbur hadn’t… Wilbur. All Phil can see is Wilbur’s corpse, laying there, and then Technoblade grabbing him and running away… He dreams of a place where Wilbur, his son, hadn’t… hadn’t said what he did…

“Kill me, Phil. Kill me.”

No, no! He’s… he’s my son… he was my son… was Techno’s brother, was Tommy and Tubbo’s siblings… their bond was indestructible. There was nothing that could break it apart, the family that they’ve built… all of them together, as it should be. 

“Phil- I can feel it, Phil, our bond is gone, there’s nothing left! There’s nothing tethering us together! I can tell, you can tell! Kill me, Phil! Everyone wants you to, everyone hates the pull I have! Kill me!”

I don’t want to… it’s not your time… it never should have been, not here, and certainly not now. You should be alive, here with us - with the rest of your family. 

“Do you know the story, Philza? There used to be a traitor, you know… you know what he said?”

Yes, Philza knows the story… of a traitor, of a man who proclaimed the world… of the men who struck him down…of the gods and men. But that tale has long ended, it’s time done. There are no longer gods, no longer any heroes to fight them, fight for them.

“It was never meant to be.”

It was always meant to be - that’s how the world works, Wilbur. Things don’t happen without reason - be that reason luck or planning. Things are meant to be, for otherwise they wouldn’t exist. 

“Kill me. Strike me through, Phil. Do what you always did.”

Wilbur, no - those days are done, they’ve ended. They’re gone! It ended for a reason - they shouldn’t go back to it, can’t go back to those days. There isn’t anything of worth left there, Wibur. There’s… no, it would be wrong to say that there is nothing left, when they are all still alive… there wasn’t ever really a way to kill any of them… just chain them, remove… but dwelling on those days does nobody any service. Does the sacrifices, the struggles of men, the changes that have happened across the eras no service. Returning to those days renders all of it practically null - for the memories might still exist, but as everyone has proven, it would be unlikely that anyone would remember these days. 

“Techno’s just destroying it for politics - sure he has a few withers, but he doesn’t actually care about it’s destruction, doesn’t really see that it’s destroyed. Not that I care, destruction is destruction. Even still, you came back at the wrong time - you’ll stay here, and you know what will happen next? I can free him, Phil, the chains can be removed - it can be like it used to be, just like it used to be.”

Philza knows that that’s what made him see red, made him strike Wilbur through, counterproductive as it may be… but the world shouldn’t go back, couldn’t go back. You say that this is never meant to be, but that - that is never meant to be. 

“You know the lyrics say there  _ was _ a land? There once was a land where people could go to be free, but it no longer exists, Philza! There is nothing left of my symphony, my unfinished symphony -  **forever unfinished!** ”

Philza knows what comes next, knows that Wilbur will hit the button, will blow up the center of the city that he has built up. Will watch the destruction unfold and then turn to him and tell Phil to kill him. His son, his family - will lay dead on the floor, impaled on his own sword. The rest of the family will watch, and then… and then he’ll be left here. Left behind, like always, just a little bit too late to actually be able to do anything. 

“Don’t do this Techno.”

Don’t summon them, please - you don’t have to do this, don’t have to play the political game, you don’t have to do it! You can be free… you can be selfish for once, stay here. There are other ways to go about this, Techno, ones that don’t end up with you declaring this place an enemy. There are better ways. 

“You want to be a Hero, Tommy?”

No, Techno, no… there are no heroes. Not anymore - Tommy isn’t a Hero, never was, never should be. Never could be, Techno.

“Then die like one!”

The dream continues, the explosions never stopping, ever silent to his ears as they are. The colors blinding, but Phil still sees Techno leaving with Wilbur, leaving him behind. Watches as Tommy steps up to fight the Withers, tries to protect the place that has become his home. His home is here, isn’t it? It’s not the Empire, not his lands there, no, the Spirit might as well have become unbound for as little as he thinks of that land,the place Phil calls his home.Does Philza even have a home anymore? 

The dream fades away, and Philza drifts through the black, through his sleep until the next morning, until he has to face the music once more. 

Waking up the next day, however, takes a bit of effort… they all were exhausted from the previous day and their muscles demanded that they all stay where they were a bit longer. However, there was things to do, places to rebuild… people to speak with. Walking outside, however, causes Phil to pause - freeze in his tracks, with Tubbo and Tommy stumbling outside soon afterwards at the sight.    
  


Across from them, Wilbur stands there, slightly transparent. 


	7. Achilles I

Arriving at the Port Town, the trio start to look around the place, knowing that there wouldn’t truly be anyone on their trail. Dream hums, adjusting the mask over the absolutely horrendous long neon green wig and clothes. He swears, if this is what he looks like to other people, he is going to do an overhaul of his wardrobe. He looks like a walmart teletubbie that someone fished out of the bottom of the 99 cent barrel. The only thing that he’s missing is a coat hanger antenna! Frowning behind his mask, he looks at the other two, and admits that it might actually be a half decent disguise, considering that he doesn’t think he’s seen Wilbur this cleaned up in the last decade or so, and hasn’t ever really seen Techno with brown hair like that- 

_ A man with long brown hair and covered in blood comes up to an altar, and kneels. “For you, my god.” A crown rests upon his head, and he places a blood covered sword on the altar. “Grant me power, D̷̫̞͍̰̠͕͚͆̏̒̋̎̚ŗ̷̖͇̟̇̾e̸͉̘̪͍̲͋͠a̵̖͓̱͋͒͋̇͘͝ṁ̴̢̧̹̺̱͙͈̫̹͋̅̂̇͛̕͝. Grant me strength.” _

Flinching, Dream shakes his head, something niggling at the back of his mind. He isn’t sure what it was, but it feels important… like he is forgetting something important. Scratching at the side of his face, Dream shrugs as he follows along. It’s not that important, right? Besides as he catches up, he watches as Techno pays for passage, and the other two turn back to look at him and they motion to continue onto a boat. 

Dream knows that the Antarctic Empire has planes and other such technology for faster travel, but… Dream has never really seen the need for any of them, as his lands are relatively easy and peaceful to cross. Even the one train system in the land is mostly contained within L’Manberg - from Wilbur and Tommy bringing over the technology from their homeland and implementing it. 

Dream prefers it this way, to be honest. The spread of humans, the lack of urbanization… it keeps his lands the way he likes them, prevents anyone from taking them over - prevents Empirical spirits from fully forming in anything smaller than a kingdom. Technoblade, Dream knows, likes technology, encourages all of the urbanization… but he doesn’t really have the same issue as most do, does he? As a hybrid, he’ll be alive for as long as either persist… and as long as he’s alive, his lands will persist. There is no need to stop it, not when there’s no problem in spreading it… when spreading it makes him stronger. 

However, none of that technology was made to reach across oceans. Sure, there are rumors of a space program… but in the oceans? In getting to places where there are large spans of water and no land in between? Boats dominate. Or, at least, they’re the only technology any human can really use to get from place to place. Thus, they’re taking a boat. 

The boat isn’t that impressive in all honesty, just a standard sized travelling ship meant for a few groups of passengers, but mostly just supplies will fill it’s hull. And fill it does, crates upon crates tower up, crammed in almost. Reasonable, considering this ship will take them to the Antarctic Empire, a trip that will take them months to complete at minimum to reach the outer edges, despite the size of the place.

Dream wonders, if his lands were any closer, if Techno would have tried to take them over as well… he can’t remember whether or not Technoblade is older than he is, if that expansion is older as well. Scratching the back of his head, Dream hums. He wonders, if he is younger than that expansion, if he would have ever shown up if these lands were any closer than they were. 

Spirits only form when the ambient energies need an anchor, a chain to the lands around them so that they can become replenished... If Technoblade had claimed these lands, then the energies that had created him would have gone over to Techno, right? Heck, would most of his coalition even exist, considering he had shown up right around when they all had? He isn’t sure… 

Scratching the back of his head, Dream looks between the other two there and sighs. This is going to be one long trip, isn’t it. And he’s stuck in this form, this god awful disguise for the time being. Dream paces the deck of the ship for a little bit, until him and the other two are herded into their cabin, the boat setting sail. 

Sitting down there, in the small room that seems to just barely fit the three of them - how in the hell will they fit on the mattress? Dream can’t even call the thing a proper bed, the frame missing and it being closer to a pile of blankets and furs than anything else. It’s… sad really, considering that the other two don’t really need to be sneaky about their passage home. Well, rather, Technoblade doesn’t need to pretend like this, and just claim the two of them as attendants he picked up over here - but Techno is just wack like this. 

Dream shakes his head just thinking about it. Seriously, what spirit gets into a war on farming potatoes with a  _ Potato Spirit _ . Dream’s pretty sure that that’s the only time he’s even heard of a potato spirit. Sure, he didn’t really know fish spirits actually were able to form until Wilbur introduced him to Sally, and by proxy Fundy, but that’s not the same thing. How in the heck does a potato spirit come into existence? Are they even the spirit of a singular potato or just potatoes in general for a certain area? How does the logistics for that all work?

Whilst in the middle of his existential crisis, Wilbur hums, and looks over at Techno, where he is leaning against the wall. “Hey Techno… so that tale of Theseus you had told Tommy… why did you say that Theseus died alone, in disgrace, despised by his people?” Wilbur’s brows furrow, thinking about it. “The last time you had told it, before that… it didn’t have an end… you had just said that Theseus had been exiled.”

Technoblade shrugs in response, humming. “That tale finally had an end, Wilbur. Nothing more towards that.”

That catches Dream out of his thoughts. What? That tale finally had an end? Don’t tales all normally have an end… Admittedly, Dream never really took the time to listen to Technoblade’s tales when he had visited before… they were short compared to how long their lives were, sure, but… something else had always caught his eye. He’s sure that Techno had actually told him the tale of Theseus before L’Manberg existed, but… he didn’t listen, so oh well.    
  
Although, the prospect of there being more to that story than just calling Tommy Theseus was… interesting. Although that might be the general intention, to call him that and warn him from repeating Theseus’s mistakes… that is what stories, what tales are for these days. Short ones, where the intent is less on the actual storytelling and more on the moral of it all. 

Dream admits, he might finally actually pay attention to a story for once. A fully complete one, not cut down to scale for a warning in the middle of a fight. He’s… invested now, has an actual desire to learn the whole thing. He really is impatient, isn’t he?

Techno hums, and he walks over to the bed and collapses onto it. “Anyways, goodnight. Don’t fuck up and do anything dumb.” A pointed stare is given to Dream.    
  
He scoffs. “I would never!” A hand is put on his chest as sarcasm bleeds into his voice. “I absolutely love looking like a bargain barrel Teletubbie~”   
  
Technoblade chuckles. “Glad to see you’re admitting it.” With that, Wilbur bursts into laughter, and Dream pouts behind his mask. This is going to be one long ride, isn’t it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I mention my update schedule was sporadic? So anyways... uhh, canonically, Fundy is the spirit of L'Mantree. Yes I know what happens to it in Canon. No I am not changing my decision of Fundy being L'Mantree... what ends up actually happening here on the other hand is debatable.   
> Anyways; Technology Levels. So, long story short is that; it's typically decided by the spirits in charge of any particular land how much technology they want in their lands, and of what kind - and most of it is for practical reasons. Dream's lands haven't progressed much past caravans and foot travel, mostly because it's a lot safer and easier to get across than say Techno's, whose lands are mostly covered in snow and are rarely hospitable. Thus, Techno allows for a lot more technology in regards to travel, and because of it has been able to properly develop access to the End/the Moon. Dream however has not. But regardless, no matter the level of technology, almost everywhere has connections to the Nether with very little exception.


End file.
